The clocks went back last night..I hate missing an hour of the weekend! LOL.
We didn't really do much today. This morning my bf made a nice cooked breakfast of which ActionRob posed with. I had sausages, egg, baked beans, haggis and tattie scones. Very yummy!! And then in the afternoon ActionRob also joined us for a game of Mario Kart on the Wii!

Tammy - I'm glad that your hubs insurance will at least start paying for your daughters treatment in August. When is she due her next spinal tap? Hopefully after August??

bac - Thanks for the info on the SM autographed poster!

Fi - The cottage looks lovely! Very homely When do you move in again?

Amy - Oh my, sorry for all the ER trips you have had this weekend! I hope your son is ok, and yourself too after your allergic reaction! But yay on the dog!

Raine - That's so exciting that your friend is having a baby!! Aww! Sorry that she might get some people talking about her as she is not married...is she still seeing the father? Will her parents be ok with it?
Haha, yeah I know a few folk who keep rats as pets. When I was young, most of my pets were hamsters, so lots of people here have rodents as pets LOL.

Susie - The Chatterbox sounds like it would be a lot of fun!! Yay for scrabble - and yay again for winning! LOL.
Nope I have no idea why we call shopping "messages", it just always has LOL. I will ask my parents though and let you know if they know why!

Marielle - *waves* I hope you enjoyed your Sunday!

Chrissy - That's great your mom found a new house, but sorry about the big hill. I'd love to see pics of it if you want to post them? Yay for having a room so far away from your brother
Glad you managed to get caught up a little with school, and I hope everything that's happening in your home life just now doesn't hinder that too much. Remember if you want to chat/vent, we're all here for you
I don't think we're on the same episode of Bones We just watched episode 12?

I got the opportunity to go see the musical Wicked last night (Ginnie took her daughter to see it a few weeks ago). A friend of mine was going with a co-worker and she had to back out at the last minute so he had an extra ticket. The show was really good and we got to go backstage afterwardfor a tour which was really exciting. We got to see all the mechanics they use for the show (they actually had to come up with a different way to do a certain scene because in Florida we don't have basements). We met a few of the cast members and got to see the costumes (the most expensive is a dress that cost $15,000 to make!) and hair and makeup areas. They even took us back and showed us the lead actresses' dressing rooms (both ladies had already left for the night).

I finally bought my own copy of WfE yesterday. When the cashier saw it she mentioned that she had been thinking about reading it herself, so I started telling her how awesome it was and how the trailers for the movie look so good. I hope I was enthusiastic enough to make her want to get her own copy right away.

Susie~ Glad you got meet up with Marielle again and that you had a good trip. I'm hoping that you'll be able to make another visit to Florida in the near future. *hint hint*

Tammy~ So sorry to hear about your troubles with your daughter's medical care. The healthcare system in this country is just so screwy. Makes me very thankful that my health is excellent and I have to see the doctor so seldomly. I second Caryn's suggestion about double-checking the new legislation to be sure there isn't something that could help you.

Caryn~ Thank you for those lovely outtakes! I swear that man was just born to wear a suit. I know this is old but regarding the production notes for WfE: I thought they were very interesting. I'm glad that they are trying to be as authentic as possible to the book as well as the time. And Rob's interactions with the elephant were so cute. It's obvious from the recent interviews that he really had a great time filming with her. Small spoiler~ I am curious about why they decided to change Marlena's backstory because I don't really see the point. Either way the result is the same: she doesn't leave because she has nowhere to go. It's a minor detail and has little effect on the larger story so it doesn't really bother me. However, for that same reason, I don't understand why they would bother to change it?

Jaclyn~ I grew up with guinea pigs so having a pet rat wouldn't bother me. My kitties were all fine after the AC incident. It's just the thought of them suffering while I'm unaware of it that's distressing to me. My AC was broken for a week a few years back and I was so worried about my cat (I only had one at the time) that I would go home on my lunch breaks to check on her. It was May and in Florida we get up into the 90s during the day. My boss actually let me bring my cat to work with me when she noticed how stressed it was making me.

Fi~ Thanks for the pics of your new cottage. It looks so cute, especially the inside. That refrigerator is tiny though!

Hello to all the other HH ladies!

Banner by TammyAZ"Our fingerprints don't fade from the lives we touch."

jacklyn-Minus the beans, that looks like a yummy meal! (I don't like beans all that much lol) I went to open my o/s and all that was in the file was a bunch of symbols. I have no idea how it got messed up. This was me when I realized I had to rewrite what I had (I had about 2 pages written) & So now I am in the process of re-writing it. I'm trying to think of this as a good thing without getting too upset about it.

Velvet409-Sounds like you had a great time! That's aweosme that you got to go and see things about the play. I saw WFE with that cover at Walmart. I almost bought it but I didn't as I already have the book with this cover.

While I am upset over my mess up of my o/s, I am happy that:

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY WILDCATS BEAT NORTH CAROLINA AND MADE IT INTO THE FINAL FOUR!!!

The clocks went back last night..I hate missing an hour of the weekend! LOL.
We didn't really do much today. This morning my bf made a nice cooked breakfast of which ActionRob posed with. I had sausages, egg, baked beans, haggis and tattie scones. Very yummy!! And then in the afternoon ActionRob also joined us for a game of Mario Kart on the Wii!
!

So that's ActionRob. I was going to ask what ActionRob was until I saw these pictures. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Especially the Mario Kart one.

Hello ladies. Hope everyone's had a great weekend. We were fairly busy with my daughter's first AAU basketball tournament, spending time with a close friend from high school, teaching Sunday school and church, etc. Unfortunately, my daughter's team lost the three games they played-- but they improved each game, scored more points each game, and lost by fewer points each game. All of this is pretty good considering her 5th grade team has only been practicing together for four or five weeks, and a couple of these teams have supposedly been playing together since 3rd grade! My daughter is about 4'8” tall, and they have one player who is my height—5'4” tall. The first team we played had four or five girls who were probably a couple of inches taller than me. Where do they grow 5th graders like that?
Anyway....the girls had fun and will continue to learn and grow together as a team. And that's really all we hoped for our daughter in this first experience on an advanced level basketball team.

bac~ Thanks for reminding us about the autographed New Moon poster!

Raine~ I'm glad you enjoyed lunch with your girls. How is your friend feeling, and is she very early in her pregnancy? Will the father of the child be involved with her and the baby? She's lucky to have all of you as close friends to support her during this time.

Caryn~ Way to go Butler Bulldogs! This is probably the first year I didn't even pick at least one final four team correctly in my bracket (Thanks a lot Duke, Kansas, and North Carolina ), but I'm hoping to see Butler go all the way. I'm sure your boys (all three of them) are ecstatic too.

Amy~ Thanks for telling us a little more about yourself. What a scary weekend you had, with your trips to the ER. I'm so glad both you and your son are okay. Was there a particular reason your son bit the nightlight—or was it just to see if he could do it? That's sounds like something my son would do, or at least would have done a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, sometimes boys will just be boys. I'm sure everyone's thrilled with your new dog, and I know labs are supposed to be great with children. I understand about trying to tone down the Twilight obsession. My husband knows I love the books and movies, and that I post on the Lexicon. Because most of my Lexing time takes place after he and the kids are asleep on weeknights, he'd probably be pretty surprised if he knew I've posted nearly 1000 times. And that's just a little secret I'll keep between myself and the Lex. ActionRob was originally purchased (or won, I think?) by Susie at a Twi-convention, right Susie? To prevent him from being thrown out or given away by her family , ActionRob has visited several of the Halfway House members this year. They have taken pictures of him in various settings and places, to share with the rest of us and keep us informed of all his goings-on. He's currently in Scotland with Jaclyn, and coming to visit me in Tennessee in April. I'm sure he'd love to visit you later in the year, if you're interested.

Susie~ I enjoyed reading about your and Caryn's musings over Rob and the Myers Briggs. I've never been administered those tests, but they certainly seem very intriguing. I hope you enjoyed your visit with Luta, your former student. Was she the student who spent time in Nashville many years ago, and you sent me that section of her memoirs? Her story was amazing! I'm sorry you and hubs weren't able to watch True Grit, although it sounds like you had a fun time at The Chatterbox Pub—cool place. I bet True Grit may be available on DVD now, although I don't think you rent many movies. Good luck to Sonny Boy with the writing assignment and completing his online Health class. Do students still read some version of “Cliff's notes”? We usually used them as more of a supplementary tool, but I probably relied solely on them a couple of times in high school when I just didn't finish the reading assignment on time. They really do pile on the schoolwork senior year, when students are so busy with other activities as well.

Melanie~ Hope your little boy feels better soon. I'm sorry about the difficulties with your work, and I also remember you hoping to get back into the kitchen as a chef recently?

Missp~ Hope you had a relaxing weekend and managed to write a bit. Did your spring break begin last Friday, and are you going out of town?

Fi~ Thanks for sharing the pictures of the cottage with us. It looks so very cozy and cute. Good luck with your busy schedule and finding time to pack/unpack as well.

Lulu~ I'm sorrry to hear BabyBoy had bronchitis, and I hope he's feeling a bit better. That must be reassuring to know that he's sleeping better and is still mostly his happy, sweet self. Did you have any trouble getting him to take the meds—with the medicine dropper I assume?

Jenn Jenn~ What a noble and worthy cause for your upcoming fanfic—good luck. Your Kentucky Wildcats have certainly peaked at the right time. They're playing some great basketball and will be tough to beat. Watching them now....it's hard to imagine that Vanderbilt beat Kentucky here in Nashville, and were only one or two points shy of beating them at Rupp Arena too.

Christina~ I hope you enjoyed watching Wicked, and that's really cool that you were able to tour backstage. I bought the version of WFE with the film tie-in cover too. I also had a copy of the original version, but it's being passed around at work as we speak. I figured it was the worth the extra $7.00 to own a second copy in case I don't get my old copy back, especially if I want to reread it before the movie is released.

Jaclyn~ I'm sorry about your fear of spiders, but maybe they won't come back in full force since they've been absent for quite a while. We had hamsters growing up and I had an albino one with red eyes, similar to the picture of the albino rat you posted. It is a cute picture, and I just have to get beyond my preconceived notions of thinking of rats as a little creepy. I'd forgotten that you watched The X-Files too. Have you ever watched Fringe? It reminds hubs and me of The X-Files, mostly because of the often freaky, “out there” story lines, and the great chemistry shared by the two main characters. Loved your coffee mug in your breakfast shot with ActionRob.

Marielle~ Glad you had a nice, lazy weekend—those are often the best kind. I actually took a wonderful Sunday afternoon nap today....dozing on and off for nearly two hours was a wonderful luxury. Hope you adjust to the time change rather quickly without too much fatigue.

Tammy~ Good luck writing your fanfic. I'm in awe of those who can come up with creative ideas, and then actually put pen to paper to communicate them in the form of a story. I'm glad the neurologist is being flexible with you over payments for your daughter's medical care. Hope she's feeling better and able to function in school without too many complications from her headahces.

Ginnie~ Kudos to your hubs for helping your computer run more smoothly. Rob's MTV interview was interesting and informative, if you can stand to wade through all the separate links. Maybe it will be posted somewhere as one larger link.

Chrissy~ Glad to hear you're feeling a little better. We'd love to see pics of the new house, and I hope you'll be happy in it. Hope things are okay at home, and sorry you seem to be under a great deal of stress.

Urgh, it’s difficult to get started when summer time has started…I’m so tired because my body thinks I’m an hour too early…

Sorry, I couldn’t stay long enough to do a decent post yesterday, we had been visiting family all afternoon and after that I started a new book and got pulled in. with the weather so nice I couldn’t stop reading in the sun…

Anyway, I’ll start with the Saturday posts.

Caryn, don’t feel guilty…I was just as shocked as you all were and I hadn’t been able to read any positive interviews…I realized later that he probably has problem adjusting to the famous life because he got his really big fame later than the normal teen-heartthrobs, he was so used to his normal way of life for so long that it is just normal to need more time to adjust…
And I bet they caught him on a bad day…

Jaclyn, that cat is really cute…I’m not really a cat person, I like dogs more but I wouldn’t mind having a cat…heck, if it was up to me I would end up with more animals than is good for me.

Fi, your house looks so damn cute…I can imagine what it would look like once you finished the garden. And I’m jealous of your fireplace…it’s so pretty I would have wanted an open fire but I so get some people don’t, it can be dangerous…is your cottage listed?

Sunday’s post:

VolturiGirl, wow it sounds like a bad weekend so far, did you get a good Sunday at all?
I hope your kid is alright?

Raine, thanks for the solution link, it really worked!!! Thank you so much…
It sounds like you had a nice girls day… I miss those days, most of my friends have kids so we aren’t able to plan it as often as I liked….You must be so happy for your friend and she must be thanking all gods for conceiving.

Susie, nope, still not the baby-fever…although I lost my awkwardness with them I still don’t see myself having one…btw, you don’t have to get married to have kids, most of my friends who have kids aren’t married, getting married is so out of fashion in Holland…
It sounds like a really nice evening you had with your hub, sorry you couldn’t see the movie though…

Hey, Chrissy, everything is perfect here, the weather is so nice you can help but feel good…in two days it’s my bday and after that I’m going on a strict no sweets diet…I need to get in shape before the summer…
I’m happy you are feeling better…

Jaclyn, did action-Rob enjoyed Mario-kart? I love that game…

Tracy, hihi, some kids do seem to get taller and taller, it’s crazy…my dad always says that those kids are really bad and get kicked in the butt often…
I spend Sunday in a garden chatting with an aunt and enjoying the sun, I can’t imagine a much better way……

Okay, I better start working...see you all later

These violent delights, have violent endings...Like fire and gunpowder, they consume what they kiss

It's so great that I don't have to teach today! I did my mom duty, though - waking up Sonny Boy, making his breakfast and lunch and sending him off to school. Now I have the day to myself. I'm going to really indulge today. A friend of mine knows how sick of winter I am and she is going to treat me to a pedicure!! Isn't that sweet? I know it seems silly to do something like that when your feet aren't going to be put into a pair of sandals until May in Minnesota, but it will be sooooo nice! We're going to have some great girl time together today. Lunch, shopping, etc. I'm running late now as usual so I can't make my mega post right now. I'll do it tonight!

Tonise and Older Twilight Fan ~ I live in Huntsville, AL so we are all close -- Especially to you MissP!

Caryn and Susie ~ I was wondering if you all were discussing RP's Myers Briggs type... Guess I was right! I took one of those tests on facebook about a year ago... Then I got an email saying it wasn't the real deal but whateva it was just for fun. I did find it very interesting though and even if it wasn't the official test I still found the results very insightful. I wish I knew more about it. I am going to go back over your debate-slash-analysis and do a little bit of research myself. If you don't mind someone else jumping in. Well, tell me first, are you HR professionals or experts in this subject for some other reason...? I don't wanna intrude and hinder your conversation if you are taking it to a more advanced level.

Amy ~ Wow that sounds really scary! I am sure having your 5 year old upset was the worst part. Are you feeling better now? Then straight back to the ER the next day. Geesh. Lemme guess... Do you have boys? I have two myself and pulling the night light out with ones teeth sounds like something one of them would have tried to pull off. Hopefully it will make a funny story someday.

Well, I had more to say to everyone but my 8 month old is waking from his nap... I'll try to check back later :]

Happy Monday Halfway House.
I had a real good weekend. The weather has been so beautiful lately. Saturday and Sunday I spent outside pulling out weeds with help from my boys. We played in our backyard on their swing set. My oldest learned how to flip backwards on a swing. He was so proud. My husband barbecued steaks for sunday dinner. OME.. they were so good. He is the cook in the family.

Raine Congrats on your friend's pregnancy. I,too, was wondering if her baby's father will be involved in their lives. Even if he isn't, I'm sure your friend is a strong woman who can do it on her own. It does sound like with all of you, she has a strong support system.

Susie Regarding Sonny Boy's reading, I have never heard of a parent having to pre-read a book for a book report. But it's been 12 years since I went to highschool, so I know that things have changed. My graduating class was only about 60 kids. (Ya, small highschool). I really hope you enjoy your pedicure. What color are you getting your toes painted?

BlueStarEgo Good to hear that your cough is going away. I'm sure you were getting a lot of headaches from all that coughing.

SwanCullen How exciting to write a O/S. What will it be about? I hope that it will be available for all of us to read. Good luck.

Christina SOOOOO JEALOUS... I have always wanted to see Wicked. What an amazing time you and your friend must have had. Especially to be able to go back stage and see how everything was done.

older_twilight_fan I think ActionRob would love to come to my home town for a visit. Glad that Susie can share him with all of us.

fi Love the cottage. It's so different to see a hose with a fireplace. Living in the desert, we don't have fireplaces in our homes, unless you build your home and specifically ask for one. We only use our heaters here maybe two months out of the year.

marielle Ya, my boy is fine. Gave us a fright for a while.

Rachel Good morning Rachel. I had no idea you had an eight month old baby. Boy or girl? Do you have any other kids?

Sorry this is so quick. I'm at work. Started typing this at 8:30 am and it's 9:53 am now. Have a good day to you all.

Happy Monday, Sisters!!! Well, I suppose we're sufficiently recovered from the excitement of the weekend and now we know our schedule for Saturday. Hubs is still trying to convince me to go out to watch Saturday's game. But, I don't think it's such a good idea. Between he and I, we're likely to get tossed. Throw in a few of our friends who ALSO want to go, and we'd likely get arrested if the game is anything like the last few. Seriously, sisters. Saturday was NOT pretty. We couldn't even be in the same room to watch the game. I was too frenetic, pacing and twitching and just being me. Hubs and the boys had to watch downstairs so they did not interupt my crazy! Then there was hubs, shouting at the TV every 3 seconds and so on. Oh we are a sight on game days, I'm telling you.

Yesterday was a serious recovery day. I woke up with the sinus headache to end all headaches and essentially spent the day in bed reading. On the upside, got to read some work by 107yearoldvirgin, who is a genius. She has "retired" from writing fanfic, but thankfully, left all her works on a blog. Yesterday, I tore through (literally in a few hours and it's almost 400 pages) Eight Days a Week, which is just the sweetest story you've ever read. It was lovely and soothing to the stress of an aching head. MannyWard is just... there really are no words.

Anywho, on to the topic at hand...

Fi~ Oooh, I like it. Looks very homey. I’m sure GB is looking forward to getting the workshop all fixed up and ready to go.

Raine~ When I read your initial post, I thought, “I bet her friend’s pregnant.” Turns out I’m pretty smart I guess. It snaps my teeth together as well that people would be that spiteful. But, she’s lucky that she has such a supportive group of friends. The hypocrisy on the world position on babies out of wedlock just burns my butt. We still do everything we can to restrict access to birth control. We propagate a serious double standard about sex before marriage, making men heroes and women that w-word I can’t type due to the filters. If a woman does get pregnant, we do everything we can to force her carry and give birth. To my mind, if we don’t really do anything to hold men who make babies accountable for them. And yet, we scorn and snipe at women who end up doing the only thing they can. Hypocritical buttheads, the lot of them. /RANT OVER/

Amy~ Yes, the picture in the black suit is particularly devastating. Like I said, the man was simply born to wear a well-cut suit. Wow, sounds like a busy weekend. Believe me, I’m way to familiar with our local ER. Between hubs and my two monkeys, who are 13 and 9… yeah, they know me way too well. I’m just glad to know everyone’s ok. If that’s a quick post, I don’t know if I want to see your idea of a MegaPost!

Amy & Rachel~ Forgive me if I giggle whenever I see those names together. Those are my two youngest SiL’s and they are ALWAYS addressed together that way.

Susie~ Wow, sounds like a lovely night out for you and hubs. Sorry you didn’t get to see the movie though. It really was quite good. Hailey Steinfeld really impressed me. Thank you, thank you. We are all quite proud. Our Dawgs are the first team ever to make back-to-back Final Fours without being seeded above 4th. And, our coach, Brad Stephens, is the youngest ever coach to make back-to-back Final Fours. It’s been mass hysteria in my little circles. So many people I know are making last minute plans to head to Houston. Oh don’t I wish! I suppose we shall have to agree to disagree about Rob’s Introvert vs Extravert tendencies. I think we just interpret his actions differently. Awww, enjoy the pedi and the girl time. I’m in desperate need of getting happy toes. I wore sandals all last week as it was close to 70 and even 80 some days! Of course, this week, with the monkeys on spring break, it’s back into the 30s.

Chrissy~ A new house could be exciting, but I’m totally with you on the living arrangements for you and your brother. I have serious love for Ray Lamontagne. Trouble is one of his classics. That version is a little faster than I like, but it’s still awesome in a can.

Jaclyn~ ActionRob, coffee and Disney!! What a combo! Looks like you had quite the relaxing day.

Christina~ Oh!! Backstage at Wicked!! I’m with envy!! oooh, and you got the movie-tie-in edition, as well. Good choice. I agree about Marlena’s backstory. But, I’m wondering if maybe, as they explain it in the film, I’ll understand the change. Did you see the information about Rob’s photoshoot for EW with Tai? He’d mentioned in the EW interview (which was done prior to the photoshoot) that he hoped Tai remembered him (such a sweet moment!) So, of course, once the photos were released and we saw them together, everyone wanted to know if she did, in fact, remember Rob. Well, how could she forget him?! Not only is she an elephant, but he’s ROB! WfE.com contacted Kari at Have Trunk, Will Travel (Tai’s home sanctuary) and according to her human momma, not only did she remember him, she went right over to him and picked up right where they’d left off, with her nuzzling him with her trunk and surepticiously searching for treats in his pockets! Is it bad that I’m soooo jealous of an elephant? Smart girl, that Tai!

JennJenn~ Congrats to the Wildcats! Although… I don’t know if I should say that now. There are many out there who are predicting a final between UK and Butler! Uh oh. A little bball rumble in the HalfwayHouse!! No worries, girls. You can remain completely impartial by simply saying Go Blue!

Tracy~ As long as the girls take something positive from the weekend, that’s all you can ask. Good for them on the improvement! Oh yes, we’re a happy happy family this week! You aren’t the only one by a longshot whose brackets are all messed up. There’s this great pic making the rounds that is our live mascot, Blue 2, sitting in the middle of Hinkle’s court with the caption, “Oh Hai. Did I go and mess up all your brackets again?” Although, I think, at this point, VCU can take more credit for that than we can. Without any #1 or #2 seeds? Who would have thunk?

Marielle~ *whew* Ok, thanks. It’s okay. We all got our dander up just a bit after that article was published. You know how protective especially us MommaBears can be about our boy. What book were you reading?

Rachel~ Yes’m, we were talking about what Rob’s MB results would be, or what we think they would be. Professionals? Kinda-sorta-not-really. I have my undergrad in psychology and my grad in counseling. So, yes, I can administer the test and evaluate the results, but it’s not what I do for a living. I’m just kind of a student of human behavior, and Rob’s behavior specifically Susie… well, I’ll let her tell her story. But, suffice it to say that she’s extremely insightful about people and wonderful and understanding them.

Okay okay. I've to get back to work. I was so busy this morning that I didn't get to post at my normal time. I'm simply unmotivated to work anymore at this point, and there's a particularly wonderful volume of EW in my briefcase calling my name. Hmmmm, maybe I can curl up in my guest chair, with my back to my door and read a little "research"